In The Garden: Pruning blueberry bushes

KEZI wraps up its final In The Garden segment. This week, Caleb Johnson, owner of Johnson Brothers Garden Market, shares tips on how and when to trim your blueberry bushes.

Posted: Oct 31, 2017 12:56 PM

Updated: Nov 1, 2017 8:26 AM

Posted By: Sean Cuellar

EUGENE, Ore -- A sure sign that the growing season has come to an end is when it's time to start pruning.

Caleb Johnson wraps up this year's "In The Garden" with tips on trimming blueberry bushes.

"Blueberries are one of the most popular plants to put in your garden, but a lot of times people don't know how to prune them or when. Today we are going to look at a couple simple pruning tips so let's go take a look," said Caleb Johnson, owner of Johnson Brothers Garden Market.

Johnson said late fall to winter, when plants are dormant, is the best time to prune.

"First of all, you see this giant cane sticking out. Large canes like this after six or seven years are going to produce less and less blueberries over time. So what we are going to do is prune it down by the base at a 45 degree angle. Cutting off this helps new cane new shoots to come out. They are going to be more productive in producing more blueberries in the future," added Johnson.

Johnson also recommends trimming back crossing branches to help open air flow in the middle of this plant.

Finally, tackle low hanging branches.

"Really the last thing we want to do is eliminate out laying branches like this one that is up top. That will make a nice rounded shape, open in the middle, no branches hanging down on the bottom so it's going to be an easier plant to harvest," said Johnson.

Johnson Brothers Garden Market is located at 91444 Coburg Road in Eugene.